Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Philosophy and ethics

Defining Legal Rules: An Aristotelian Perspective

A primary perspective of a legal rule can be obtained from its definition, provided by the Aristotelian-scholastic mold. The definition represents the expression of the essence of a thing and should include an indication of the general category to which it belongs, in addition to the features that distinguish it from other realities within the same category.

Systematic Frameworks in Legal Institutions

Facing a legal institution through its definition contributes to framing it within a systematic, "regional" context. The definition involves the formation of generic concepts—such as legal relationships or legal business—which were unknown to Roman dogmatics, where legal concepts were often treated... Continue reading "Aristotelian Foundations of Legal Theory and Methodology" »

Classical Athens: Political and Cultural Power (460–late 5th c. BC)

From the year 460 BC until the late 5th century BC, Athens was the most important polis because of its political, social, and cultural power and influence. During this period, Athens fought wars against the Persians (the Greco-Persian Wars) and Sparta (the Peloponnesian War), which highlighted its naval supremacy. The city opted for equality before the law (isonomy), experienced population growth, and its social environment was characterized by religious laxity (more open disclosure of feelings), ideological and political pluralism (greater freedom, education, diversity of opinion, and democratic progress), and ambiguity or moral relativism (absence of singular sacred myths)... Continue reading "Classical Athens Philosophy: Sophists, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle" »

Rousseau's Discourse on Inequality (1754)

The work Man and Society, presented in the Discourse on the Origin of Inequality Among Men (1754), marks a crucial starting point for anthropological thought. It introduces the hypothesis (due to a lack of empirical data) of the "state of nature," the condition in which humans lived before forming organized society.

The State of Nature: True, Good, and Happy

Under this original scenario, man in the state of nature is characterized as true, good, and happy. He is moved primarily by two fundamental feelings:

• Love of Self (Amour de soi): The instinct for self-conservation.
• Compassion for Others: A natural aversion to seeing others suffer (in direct opposition to the views of Hobbes).

In this state, individuals... Continue reading "Rousseau's Philosophy: Inequality, Society, and the State of Nature" »

The Composition of the Real: Aristotle's Hylomorphism

The Hylomorphic theory is the defining feature of Aristotle's philosophy, distinguishing it from Plato's Theory of Ideas while retaining certain similarities and extensions. As Aristotle matured, he partially rejected the Theory of Ideas, recognizing the limitations of Plato's perspective. While he maintained a Platonic mindset, he disagreed with the notion that ideas exist separately from physical objects.

Aristotle argued that every being must contain an explanation of itself within itself. He proposed that reality is a composition of matter and form. Furthermore, he explained that change is a union between matter, form, and essence. While many of his concepts mirror Plato's, the primary... Continue reading "Aristotle's Hylomorphism: Understanding Matter and Form" »

René Descartes' philosophical system begins with the indubitable truth of the cogito: "I think, therefore I am." From this foundational certainty of our own existence and thought, Descartes proceeds to demonstrate the existence of God. He asserts that without proving God's existence and goodness, it is impossible to achieve certainty about anything else, as a deceptive God could undermine all our perceptions.

The Argument from Innate Ideas and Perfection

Descartes posits that all that exists in our mind for conceiving things are ideas. Among the various types of ideas, some are neither derived from external things nor created by our imagination; these are innate ideas. They arise from the mere capacity to think, by the lumen naturale rationis... Continue reading "Descartes' Philosophical Arguments for God's Existence" »

Plato: Athenian Philosopher's Early Life

Plato was born in Athens in 427 BC into a noble family. He received an education in music and gymnastics. A pivotal moment in his life occurred in 407 BC when he met his future mentor, Socrates. Plato studied under Socrates for about eight years until Socrates was convicted of corrupting the youth. Socrates was condemned to drink hemlock and died, refusing to renounce his sentence, accompanied by close friends at his final meal.

Plato was not present during his teacher's final moments, an event reported in the Phaedo. This outrageous injustice likely became the prototype for the philosophical struggle Plato dedicated his life to. Because of this event, the philosopher consistently attacked democracy as... Continue reading "Plato's Life and Founding of the Academy" »

Thomas Aquinas' Five Ways to God's Existence

Thomas Aquinas' demonstrations of the existence of God, famously known as "The Five Ways" (Quinque Viae), have profoundly influenced philosophical and theological thought. Aquinas deemed it necessary to prove God's existence because it is not immediately obvious to human reason. He asserted that such a demonstration is possible by observing the sensible world around us.

Aquinas did not accept the ontological argument proposed by Anselm of Canterbury, which relies solely on a priori reasoning and dispenses with empirical experience. While "The Five Ways" are presented as five distinct arguments in the Summa Theologica, only four appear in the Summa Contra Gentiles. The exact number, however, is less... Continue reading "Thomas Aquinas' Five Proofs for God's Existence" »

Platonic Anthropological Dualism

Plato has a dualistic conception of man: man is composed of body and soul, which is known as anthropological dualism. Influenced by his master Pythagoras, he considered the union of soul and body purely accidental. The soul is considered immortal and immaterial and takes precedence over the body. It is the vital principle that gives life to the body and is also the beginning of knowledge.

The soul is a reality somewhere between the two worlds, tending to the Intelligible World, where it is referred to have pre-existed among the Ideas. Upon entering the Sensible World and being incarnated in a body, the mind forgets the Ideas, and only a trace remains, blurred and confused (the innateness of ideas). Thus, the theory

Nietzsche on the Body

According to traditional philosophers, human beings have a body, but are not a body. Plato or Descartes' concept of the "soul" subsumes all human reality. This is a consequence of their way of valuing: the senses deceive us (by showing becoming as real) and, consequently, everything sensible, like the body, acquires a negative connotation.

On the other hand, the body is related to the passions, to the irrational, and to pleasure—that is, to all those vital values to which the Western tradition has declared hostility.

For Nietzsche, radically opposing such a decadent way of assessing and interpreting the ontological structure of man, man is none other than a living body. The body is the being of man, his own integrity:

"I

The Seventeenth Century: A Period of Crisis and Insecurity

The seventeenth century was a period of crisis and insecurity across critical areas: political-social, religious, scientific, cultural, and, of course, philosophical. In Europe, famine and crop disease made life precarious. In a society marked by stark differences, frequent social tensions arose between nobles and the bourgeoisie, as seen in England with its two revolutions (1648 and 1688), or between different states, exemplified by the Thirty Years' War between France and Germany (1618–1648).

Dominant Systems and Conflicts

• The dominant political system was absolute monarchy.
• In the religious sphere, the Protestant Reformation had divided believers into various groups fighting to impose